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By L. E. Young

MUCH has been said and written on this subject and probably little new can be said. However, the point of view of the operating company changes from time to time, and more stress may be laid upon a subject today than was done some years ago, and it is with this changing point of view that the following observations are presented: The writer wishes to limit the discussion to views of a company mining bituminous coal, particularly to what the production department expects of the college grad¬uate. In an editorial in MINING AND METALLURGY for February, 1929, entitled "Is. Mining Engineering Passing?" it is stated that: It is not by accident that mining engineering courses have been general rather than special and form even today the only general engineering courses widely offered and followed by engineering students.'* * * even in this age of specialization, the mining engineers remain a body characterized particularly by broad knowledge.

Jan 1, 1929

By H. J. LONGMORE

MORE improvements have probably been made in the diamond-drill field in the past decade than were accomplished in the entire prior period since diamond drilling was discovered in 1864 by a French engineer named Leschot. True, machines were improved, and new accessories were adopted from time to time up to 1929, but no radical changes were made. The basic principle instituted during the early years of the industry were still in use in 1929. At that time, practically the only diamonds used were "black diamonds" or "carbon." These came from Brazil through a rather round- about route, and by the time they got to the drilling trade their cost was excessive-$175 per carat and even higher at the peak. Perhaps because of this. or perhaps because of increased competition, the industry sought ways to reduce expenses even in the face of constantly increased labor costs due to higher wages and reduction in hours worked. The solution seemed to rest in two things-use of a cheaper cutting medium to replace the carbon diamond and the development of new machines to drill faster and thus produce more hole per shift of operation.

Jan 1, 1940

By E. R. MARBLE

THE introduction of a new fuel, such as natural gas, necessitates careful study where it has not been used previously. At the El Paso smelter natural gas required the installation of apparatus with which no one at the plant was familiar, either as to the type of equipment needed or as to the burning of the gas in it. Observation of existing installations of a similar character and assistance from gas engineers served as a basis to determine what was advisable to use. The gas line entering the plant goes to a metering station equipped with a duplicate system of pressure regulators, a temperature recorder and the gas company and smelter orifice meters in tandem. There are three distribution lines that can be inter-connected at a later date, if necessary, to assist in equalizing the plant load. All the larger lines are of heavy

Jan 1, 1930

By E. R. Kaiser

ACTIVITY on long-range and on immediate wartime problems shared the attention of specialists in coal research during 1943. Programs of the principal coal laboratories were more adequately financed than in previous years, but all reported shortages of technical personnel. Expansion in coal research in the year to come will depend primarily on the availability of qualified research talent.

Jan 1, 1944

By J. F. Poland

B. C. Burgess-—Prior to hearing this paper presented at the San Francisco meeting, I travelled by car from Yuma, Ariz., across south-central California and up through the San Joaquin Valley. After hearing the paper I returned by the coast route to San Diego then along the Mexican border to Yuma. The striking feature of these trips, related to this paper, was the dry river and creek beds at a time of year not the dry season. Contrasted with this was the wasteful use of water in irrigation canals and laterals. Poland says "at least 90 pct of the ground water pumped is used for irrigation." That being the case, it would appear that first consideration should be given to conservation of this use. Probably a small part of this is actually reaching the plants. Some measure of this loss between pump and crops would be revealing. Methods that might be employed to reduce this loss are pipe lines and spraying of some crops such as the banana planters are using in Central America. Another idea which might be investigated is to line canals and ditches with some water-repelling mineral like pyro-phyllite. Perhaps a comparatively thin sprayed-on

Jan 1, 1951

By J. F. Poland

B. C. Burgess-—Prior to hearing this paper presented at the San Francisco meeting, I travelled by car from Yuma, Ariz., across south-central California and up through the San Joaquin Valley. After hearing the paper I returned by the coast route to San Diego then along the Mexican border to Yuma. The striking feature of these trips, related to this paper, was the dry river and creek beds at a time of year not the dry season. Contrasted with this was the wasteful use of water in irrigation canals and laterals. Poland says "at least 90 pct of the ground water pumped is used for irrigation." That being the case, it would appear that first consideration should be given to conservation of this use. Probably a small part of this is actually reaching the plants. Some measure of this loss between pump and crops would be revealing. Methods that might be employed to reduce this loss are pipe lines and spraying of some crops such as the banana planters are using in Central America. Another idea which might be investigated is to line canals and ditches with some water-repelling mineral like pyro-phyllite. Perhaps a comparatively thin sprayed-on

Jan 1, 1951

By Sidney H. Haughton

WHEN the white pioneers of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries advanced from the coastal settlements of southern Africa into the interior of the subcontinent, they found it inhabited, more or less sparsely, by brown or black peoples mainly of pastoral habits but equipped with a fighting spirit and certain fighting weapons. Some of the tribes were smiths, others were miners and metallurgists; all used fuel, either industrially or domestically. Some of that fuel was wood, some cattle dung, and in some places the natives mined outcrop coal. Coal was first discovered by Europeans in Natal about 1840. After proper deliberation and after allowing due time for a consideration of all the implications, the Natal Government decided in 1881 (40 years after) to import an English expert to investigate and report on the discovery. Things then moved rapidly, and in what to a geologist is the remarkably short space of eight years, Natal collieries were producing at the rate of nearly 30,000 long tons per annum or 100 long tons per working day!

Jan 1, 1945

By A. C. Butterworth

M OST operators of open-pit mines in the Lake Superior iron ore district are quite familiar with the use of fuel oil in the heavy-duty Diesel engines commonly used in truck-haulage service but some operators, including my own company, Pickands Mather, have had butane-engine trucks in service for several years, and less is known of their operation. One of the first installations of trucks for iron-ore haulage was in 1939 at a deep open-pit mine on the Cuyuna Range. These superseded standard-gauge steam haulage. Trucks then obtainable were equipped with 150-hp Diesel engines, and the speed of these units on an 8 % grade would have been so slow, considering the depth of the pit, that plans for an all-truck haul out of the pit were rejected. About this time one of the engine manufacturers brought out an auto-

Jan 1, 1948

By Scott Turner

AS IN OTHER lines of engineering, progress in mining was influenced during 1931 by the world-wide economic depression. Low-metal prices ? resulted in active efforts to reduce production costs of base-metal mines. Probably the chief factors in reducing costs were the greater efficiency of labor, due to better relations between management and workmen, to the scarcity of jobs, reduced wages in most base-metal mines, and to lower overhead expenses secured by drastic economies. The use of mechanical equipment continued to increase, due to more efficient designs and a better practical understanding of the applicability of such equipment to requirements. With one exception, there were no startling innovations in stoping methods, but there was notable progress in the better adaptation of mining methods. In the United States, no large new base-metal or silver mines came into production during the year. At a number of mines, output was curtailed, and operations were discontinued at several important producers. On the other hand world-wide interest in gold was stimulated, as evidenced by increased output from producing mines, the reopening of some old properties, and intensive prospecting for new deposits. Mining methods at several gold mines in the United States and Canada were modified or changed to obtain a higher extraction of ore or to meet the need for additional support of the mine workings at depth. Permanent record of improvements in mining practices has been made during the year by the Federal Government; the industry thus has available for its use more detailed information than ever before. This work was done through cooperation of the mining companies and their representatives with the United States Bureau of Mines, whereby many papers descriptive of practices and costs at individual mines have been published. The Bureau's program of describing methods and costs at the more important mines (those producing in excess of $100,000 annually) is nearly completed, but papers will be issued concerning such additional mines as may possess particular interest because of novel methods, exceptional conditions or operating results, and others to supplement reports already issued. In this way, an interesting record of the results of changing conditions, or innovations in methods, will be made available.

Jan 1, 1932

By Roy E. Dickerson

CUBA differs considerably from the other Greater Antilles in many geologic fundamentals. Cuba is geosynclinals; whereas Jamaica, Hispaniola. (Haiti), and Puerto Rico are geoanticlinal. (Scliuchert, Chas., Historical Geology of the Antillian. Caribbean Region, p. 13, 1935.) Rocks of lowermost Cretaceous age exist in large volume in Cuba, where- as they are generally absent in the other islands. Since many of the surface indications of petroleum are intimately associated with lowermost Cretaceous rocks, the Vinales limestone,, this difference is most important. The Vinales limestone in many places in Pillar del Rio and Santa Clara provinces reeks with light tars when broken with a hammer. The late David White and his associates on the U. S: Geological Survey studied

Jan 1, 1937

By AIME AIME

AT the Morenci branch of the Phelps Dodge Corporation, of which Frank Ayer is manager, several new types of machines that have been developed by Charles Mitchell, shop foreman in the drill steel shop, invite comment for their time and labor-saving qualities. Foremost of these is an adjustable gage-block and gaging device for attachment to drill-sharpening machines, developed and patent applied for by Mr. Mitchell. It replaces the blocks on the standard Ingersoll-Leyner drill steel sharpener No. 5. Features of the device are gage blocks with a flat surface which can readily be removed when worn and planed in any flat planer; blocks that can be adjusted with a templet to give a far more accurate gage than was formerly possible; and a center stop that is adjustable and can be accurately set to center any standard size drill steel.

Jan 1, 1930

By E. Motica

Ores containing uranium and vanadium minerals have been mined from the Salt Wash Member of the Morrison Formation from many localities in the Colorado Plateau region since about 1900. The most productive deposits are in a relatively small area in Southwestern Colorado referred to as the Uravan mineral belt. The mineral belt is a narrow elongate area in which uranium-vanadium deposits in the Salt Wash have a closer spacing, larger size, and higher grade than those in adjoining areas. Pre- 1948 ore production from the mineral belt was 655,000 tons averaging 1.91 per cent V2O5 and 0.28 per cent U3O8. Production during the 1948 to 1964 period was 7,900,000 tons of ore averaging 1.46 per cent V2O5 and 0.27 per cent U3O8. The ore deposits occur principally in the uppermost sandstone unit of the Salt Wash. This unit consists of sandstone lenses formed by a system of aggrading braided streams flowing in an easterly direction generally normal to the mineral belt. These lenses, referred to as channels, are as much as one mile in width and average about 50 feet in thickness and can be traced for several miles along their courses. Areas favorable for one deposits are recognized principally by the following criteria: ( 1) a host sandstone thickness of over 30 feet, (2) the presence of carbonaceous material in the host sandstone, and ( 3) gray mudstones and clays associated with the ore-bearing sandstone. The ore minerals are believed to have been precipitated from laterally migrating solutions; there is no apparent genetic relationship between ore deposits and tectonic structural features. Exploratory and development drilling from the surface is conducted in three phases: first, wide-spaced drilling to find and outline favorable channels; second, moderate-spaced drilling in favorable ground to locate ore deposits; and third, close-spaced drilling to block-out ore. Long-hole drilling from underground stations is used to find and delineate extensions of ore bodies being mined. Due to intense production since 1948 from shallow deposits, best potential for new deposits exists in areas where the ore-bearing unit is 600 to 800 feet deep.

Jan 1, 1968

By D. M. McFarland

IN mining, quarrying, and construction, drilling and blasting have an important influence on the operations that follow. If the fragmentation of material being disrupted is inadequate, loading and transportation equipment will not operate at or near full capacity. Any operator faced with this difficulty should not be satisfied until he is convinced by a careful study of his methods of drilling and blasting that no improvement can be made. Rock in a certain quarry in Ohio seemed to defy any grade of explosive or means of detonation that the explosives industry had to offer. The average result of a blast was that a great part of the burden would be pushed out from the face in a number of large sections that would jokingly be referred to as "boxcars." These were no credit to the explosives man and a costly problem for the quarry company. Such blocks retard shovel operation as they have to be uncovered and subjected to secondary drilling and blasting which, if extensive, is an expensive operation. It was an attempt to improve the fragmentation obtained in primary blasts that led to the development of milli-second-delay electric blasting caps. The reasoning that prompted the trial was that even with wide spacing of the drill holes it seemed that the burden was separated too quickly from the face by the cutting action of the explosives from hole to hole. If the time of firing of the holes could be regulated so that

Jan 1, 1948

By George C. Stone

AS most of you probably know, Australia has had many strikes. The two places that had the worst reputation were the Broken Hill mines and Port Pirie, where the smelter was located. About four or five years ago, the smelter changed hands. The new proprietors - immediately endeavored to get on better terms with the men and made such progress in that respect that, the men came to them and said, "There is no use giving us any more money. You have just raised our pay one- bob a day, but the store-keeper and the boarding-house keeper have raised their prices. The boarding housekeeper raised our board three bob a week and the storekeeper took the rest of it and we are no better off." Learning that what the men needed most was firewood wood the company bought the wood on a tract of ground across Spencer's Gulf and- sent men over to cut it. The wood was brought to the works and given to a man to cut up. He thought he had an easy job and loafed, but when the committee representing the men discovered that his loafing added to the cost of 'the wood, it promptly disciplined him and made -him work as he had never worked before. The next question that arose was the distribution of the wood. The committee got bids from several cartmen whose prices varied from about two to five shillings. It gave the work to the next to the lowest bidder. The fact that if delivering the wood cost more, the user would have to pay for it, was an entirely new idea to the men.

Jan 1, 1920

THE progress in lead smelting practice in the United States during 1930 has been along previously defined lines. Since most of the material treated is high-grade concentrate relatively high in zinc, practically all the plants have been forced to adopt double sintering. This generally results in there being' no matte fall, and most of the copper in the charge is recovered in the furnace dross. The furnace dross is . smelted with. scrap iron and flux .in small reverberatories, giving a shipping matte or speiss high in copper and low in lead. Details of this reverberatory. furnace practice vary at the different plants. There is a decided tendency toward moreintensive filtration of blast- furnace and sinter fume. Bag capacity has been in- creased by using higher pressures and more frequent shaking.

Jan 1, 1931

By George S. Rice

GROUND movement from mining, whether it be for coal, metal, industrial minerals, or .oil, will always present many difficult problems. These are especially serious when valuable surface improvements may be badly damaged. The mine itself, if mining methods are not suitable to the formation, is subject to heavy falls of the main roof in the working places; and with certain structural conditions the movements may cause in coal mines disastrous bumps and outbursts of gas, and in deep metal mines rock bursts. In open-cut work rock and earth slides may result. Absolute prevention of ground movement from mining is impossible unless large pillars are left unmined,

Jan 1, 1937

By S. A. TAYLOR

AN EDITORIAL on the Strike Situation in the Coal mining industry in the New York Evening Post of Nov. 4, 1919, gave what purported to be statistics of the Department of Labor, for a period of two weeks, which showed an average for the year, based on these two weeks, of 32% hours per week. This mode of arriving at the number of hours per week, while not accurate, is not so far off from the facts as to call for any special comment. The report of the U. S. Geological Survey, Department of Coal Statistics, give so the number of days worked in 1917 as 243; reducing the same to hours per week, assuming 8 hours per day, shows a weekly operation of mines at an average of 36J4 hours. But this assumption is not exactly correct, for the reason that it is not very often that the miners work the full 8 hours per day. There are many explanations for this, but it is not pertinent to this statement to discuss them now, as the important thing to consider is whether a 30-hour week would be for the best interest of not only the men themselves, but the public or country in general.

Jan 1, 1920

By A. O. HAYES

SYSTEMATIC methods of ore-finding are looked to the more as increasing production requires greater supplies of raw materials. Unrelenting search for new sources of supply is necessary, and all the skill of science must be displayed both in methods of discovering and recovering the minerals necessary to the demands of present-day life. To this end most national governments have some sort of a geo- logical survey and there is a growing understanding of the desirability for cooperation between federal and state or provincial organizations and also financial assistance, from state and private universities, mining companies, railroads and manufacturers. Such surveys are now being directed by well trained geologists selected from federal, state and university departments. Large-scale maps are being prepared and better geo- logical interpretation made, more thorough chemical and physical examinations are being made and original search is fostered, with the result that successful prospecting is better directed, new mining regions are more likely to be discovered, and the life of. old camps lengthened.

Jan 1, 1931

By Lucien Eaton

INCREASED mining activity during the past year has brought to light changes in mining practice and advances in technique, born and incubated in the period of depression from which the mining industry is now emerging. Although the tendency toward large output from individual mines has continued, a salutary trend is evident toward greater efficiency at small mines, in which the gold mines of Canada have led the way. Improvement in excavating machinery and washing plants for small placers has continued, and knowledge of the possibilities and limitations of this kind of equipment has increased. Greater portability through sectionalization has been the keynote. Power, shovels and draglines mounted on caterpillar treads move from one deposit to another under their own power, and floating washing plants mounted on pontoons can be taken down, moved, and set up again by a small crew of men in only a few days.

Jan 1, 1937

By AMY F. JENNINGS

TO give a concise history of the Woman's Auxiliary of the A. I. M. E. is a difficult task and much interesting information must needs be omitted. The organization has grown and evolved so much from its early simple beginning that it seems best to adopt the technique of some of our modern novelists and begin with the latest development. As the headquarters of the A. I. M. E. is in New York, it follows that the Woman's Auxiliary to the A. I. M. E. necessarily has also its central office and government there. The affairs of the organization are administered by a duly-elected president and five vice- presidents, a treasurer, recording secretary, and corresponding secretary and a board of directors, the personnel of which includes each chairman of a section or an elected or nominated representative who is able to attend the monthly meetings of the board and correspond with the section for which she acts, and the chairmen of the five standing national committees, i. e. Educational Fund, Library, Emergency, Membership and Hospitality. The chairmen of these committees are all responsible to the president and board of directors and their activities must be indorsed with their approval.

Jan 1, 1929